Chapter 903. Liu Shu Taking a Relaxing Stroll.

Chapter 903: Chapter 903. Liu Shu Taking a Relaxing Stroll.

Liu Shu got her hair done, she dressed up, and then Violet did her makeup. In just a few minutes, Liu Shu was ready to go out. She chose an emerald-green dress and a pair of pink high heels. Thanks to Liu Shu’s jade-green hair and amethyst-colored eyes, the dress suited her perfectly.

Once she was ready, Liu Shu slung a bag with enough money over her arm and walked out. Her Avatar’s looks were more or less known, but that didn’t mean she would be instantly recognized. Even if someone did recognize her, the citizens of Golden Sap City had already come to a silent agreement not to bother their Lady World Tree.

So, even if she went alone, there was not much, if any, problem. She would not get swarmed, nor would she need to be cautious. Not to mention, Liu Shu’s Avatar was always protected by the thousands of <Lignified Trees> that populated the city. If anyone even dared to have a wrong thought, the armies of Level 250+ Lignified Trees would do quick work of them before Liu Shu even noticed.

"Hum, humhum~. Where shall I go today?"

Liu Shu walked down the streets. It had changed tremendously over the years. Previously, most transport was by carriage and similar. Advanced ones could go quite fast, but they were still somewhat primitive.

Nowadays, the streets were divided into pedestrian, land-vehicle, and hovering-vehicle pathways. Hovering vehicles moved at around 25 meters above the ground, per regulations. They couldn’t go either higher or lower.

The light posts both illuminated the city at night and guided hovering vehicles with their lights. It looked orderly and well thought out, creating a smooth flow of traffic thanks to the many other modes of transportation.

Besides the typical three, there was also underground transport, and short-range flying transport. The short-range flying transport was carried out by tamed flying creatures and some <Astraelis>. While creating a farm of them wasn’t possible, having a few tamed, usable ones wasn’t a bad thing. Their large size and ability to hover were perfect for short-range or super-long-range flight.

Liu Shu walked down the street, taking it all in. The shops had become more modern as well, with large glass panels and exhibits at the front. The shop signs were also neat and more professional.

’I miss a little those hand-crafted signs from shopkeepers from a while ago. They had their own personalities, hehe.’

Still, that didn’t mean she disliked the current city. Seeing progress and transformation made her, as a World Tree, feel both proud and satisfied. The feeling of her small little town having transformed into today’s megacity was always a good one.

"Welcome to our shop, customer. Would you like to do a self-checkout?"

Liu Shu nodded. "I would."

The woman in charge smiled and gave her a temporary card. "Please make sure to place the card in that area before leaving the store."

Some shops had adopted this system. You would take a small, wooden card with some electronics inside. Then you shopped as usual, but at checkout you could do it yourself and remove the tickets and other anti-theft items.

Everything after the payment was processed, which took as long as the "beep" sound of passing the card over the item.

As she walked down the aisles, Liu Shu arrived at the women’s section and glanced around. "Hm... They are much more uniform than before."

The shops before could have a flower dress right beside a smooth, everyday gown. Now, things were organized, and the biggest changes were the color and the very small design differences.

If you wanted something different, then you would need to move to another aisle.

As she was browsing, she saw a female insectkin glance at her with her compound eyes and smile. "Hello, are you also here for the new designs of the Slarad brand?"

Liu Shu had no idea who they were, so she smiled and shook her head. "I do not know them. I was just checking around."

"Oh my? You don’t?" The Insectoid was clearly somewhat surprised, and she made a gesture with her hand for Liu Shu to come over. "Come, come. I’ll show you a good thing today."

Liu Shu had nothing to do, so she just chuckled and approached.

"Look, they don’t look that much different, right? However, you should know that their designs are sturdy and easy to clean. Moreover, look at the prices; they are super cheap for what you get. Honestly, sometimes I am worried that the brand might go bankrupt."

Liu Shu glanced and used her System to analyze the dress. As the woman explained, they were quite high-level for an everyday cloth. The price-to-level ratio was, as the woman said, very good.

Seeing Liu Shu’s interest, the insectoid woman chuckled. "Hehe. Don’t spread it to too many people, though. If the brand catches on, they might increase the prices."

Liu Shu glanced up at her with a chuckle. "Weren’t you worried that they might go bankrupt?"

The woman raised her chin slightly. "That’s that, and this is this."

Both of them laughed softly. The insectoid woman was a mother of five, but she was decently well off. Therefore, she liked to come buy clothes to relax when the younglings were away.

"That’s great. I am also a mother of many children, so I can understand the desire to be alone from time to time."

The Lignified Shop: "QAQ!"

Liu Shu gently patted the wall. "It’s not that I don’t love my babies, but sometimes I just want time alone. Of course, after that, I am back to pampering all my babies."

Lignified Shop: "(ᗒᗨᗕ)!"

Liu Shu stifled her laughter as she heard the woman answer back while nodding. "Exactly, exactly. How many babies do you have?"

Feeling playful, Liu Shu decided to tell her the truth. "I have almost 400 of them by now."

The insectoid woman froze, shocked. "A-Ah, hahaha. That’s a good joke. Yeah, sometimes they do feel like a handful. So, four children then? It is quite a lot."

"It is a lot." Liu Shu didn’t bother correcting her. Instead, she went to the self-checkout and completed the purchase of three dresses.

With an extra bag in hand, Liu Shu bid goodbye to the stranger and moved on with her relaxing day.

"Oh? A mushroom species."

The mushroom species had become varied over the years. She still remembered how they came here first together with the fairies. They had never been an extraordinary asset to her empire, but in medical, drug, potion, and similar workspaces, they had made plenty of contributions through concoctions or by using their own spores as materials.

They weren’t extraordinary, but they weren’t freeloading either. By the way, Liu Shu used "drug" to mean medicine, not the harmful kind.

Also, they were the ones who gave her Lakeborn’s broken core and allowed her to heal the World Tree. ’That happened so long ago, though.’

It was a story from before reaching Level 50.

"Let’s see what they sell."

Her legs carried her over to the mushroom species’ shop. When she entered, a nice smell of herbs tickled her nose. "A herb shop?"

"More than that."

The mushroom guy said with a smile. "We sell all kinds of dangerous herb species and poison vials. They are quite good for Dungeon Diving. If you are in a pinch or fighting a large creature, throw one of them into its mouth, and it will be afflicted by a different assortment of debuffs."

Here, he paused and looked at Liu Shu up and down. "Although I guess Missy is not someone who dives dungeons often. So, our shop might not be what you want."

’Wow. He speaks so well! I recall the mushroom people who came at first spoke slowly and choppily. I guess my auras have increased their wisdom to a level of an intelligent species.’

Liu Shu smiled at him. "What if I want to buy it for one of my children?"

While Liu Shu didn’t dive into dungeons... she did create them. Hehe. If she said that, the mushroom guy might fall back in shock.

"If you can show me their dungeon-diving license, go ahead. You might not know, Madam, but buying without a Dungeon Diving permit is prohibited. Who knows if you will use it for something evil?"

The guy changed her title when he heard Liu Shu had children, but his tone remained similar.

Liu Shu pointed at her pretty face. "Me?"

The Mushroom guy laughed. "Well, probably not you. However, we must follow the law, right?"

Liu Shu smiled faintly and nodded. "I see. Thank you either way. Have a great day, sir."

"You too, Madam."

Humming an unknown song, Liu Shu walked outside and decided to take public transport toward the colosseum. She had never really been there with her Avatar, so she wanted to check it out.

This place had seen a lot of blood over the years. Nevertheless, it was a place that had prevented tons of bloodshed and bad feelings. What happened in the colosseum stayed in the colosseum. That was a saying going around the Golden Sap City.

She climbed into a long vehicle, paid for entry, and sat in one of the empty seats, looking out the window. The vehicle didn’t use wheels; instead, it smoothly hovered over the ground. The ride was so smooth it felt like standing on flat ground.

’...Looking at it from this perspective, there are truly many people.’

The ride was silent. Only the occasional child would speak to their parents, pointing at things and speaking cheerfully.

After twenty minutes or so, Liu Shu arrived at the colosseum. When the large, Lignified structure noticed Liu Shu, she became quite happy. "Mother, you’ve come?"

This child was surprisingly calm and mature. It seemed like a personality she had developed to take care of everyone within the colosseum, where blood, violence, and conflict happened almost everywhere.

That calmness and mature mindset helped the massive structure control things and not get carried along. Liu Shu gently caressed the entrance door as she walked inside. "I am here to look around. Don’t mind me, love."

"I can’t do that, haha. This place is a bit too violent. Don’t worry, I’ve spoken with the manager to come and give you a visitor necklace. They will arrive shortly."

"A visitor necklace is for those who come with only the intention of looking around, right?"

"Yes. Wait a second, Mother. They are... Here."

Looking sideways, Liu Shu saw a middle-aged, muscular man looking around with a sweaty expression. He was clearly nervous that something might happen to Liu Shu’s Avatar if he was not quick.

When he saw her, a huge sigh of relief escaped him, and he approached with a professional smile. "Here, Lady. Please make sure to have this around your neck at all times. Also, this item can cause a beeping sound that will alert all nearby guards. If anyone is being a bother, don’t hesitate to press it."

Liu Shu smiled and took the things while under the watchful eyes of those around them. The manager was clearly someone famous around this area, so seeing him act that servile was a first.

For the rest of the day, Liu Shu walked around the colosseum and watched a few death battles. Sometimes, the reasons were written at the entrance of the arena. Still, doing that was optional.

’All in all, a relaxing and fun day.’

Liu Shu smiled.